Integrated circuits are formed on semiconductor substrates (or wafers). The wafers are then sawn into microelectronic die (or “dice”), or semiconductor chips, with each die carrying a respective integrated circuit. Conventionally, each semiconductor chip is connected to a package substrate using either wire bonding or “flip-chip” connections. The packaged chip is then typically mounted to a circuit board, or motherboard, before being installed in a system, such as an electronic or a computing system.
However, technologies have recently been developed which may reduce the need for conventional package substrates. One technology involves embedding the microelectronic die in substrates, or panels, and forming electrical connections from a “device” surface of the die to other portions of the panels. The panels are often formed by attaching one side of a piece of double-sided tape to a support substrate, placing multiple die on the opposing side of the double-sided tape, and dispensing an epoxy over the die. After the epoxy is at least partially cured, the panel is removed from the support substrate.
To complete processing, the panel is then flipped to expose the microelectronic die and attached to another support substrate (e.g., a carrier substrate) also using an adhesive such as a double-sided tape. The backend processing layers, such as dielectric layers, conductive traces, and contact formations (e.g., solder balls) are then formed on the panel over the exposed die. After backend processing, the panel is often removed from the carrier substrate by soaking the entire assembly in tub of chemicals to at least partially dissolve the adhesive. This chemical soak often results in the contact formations corroding, which increases the difficulty in separating the panel into the individual packages.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a method for processing encapsulated microelectronic components that reduces, or completely eliminates, the detrimental effects caused by the chemical soak that is used to remove the panel from the carrier substrate. Additionally, other desirable features and characteristics of the invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.